Mosaic Magic
Maria writes: I really had to think hard about this, as it has been 20 years that we have been teaching about the importance of the Mosaic. I could picture our first (public) class that Rick and I taught at an IAMPETH (a calligraphy organization) conference. We stood up in front of 100+ people (most of them artists) and spoke for over an hour with no notes, agenda, or plan, only unbridled enthusiasm. After a bit of background of how Zentangle appeared to us, and our reaction to it, we finally began to draw all together. A hush settled across the room, the likes of which I had never experienced. With pencils and pens in hand, our group began to follow our simple instructions and created their first 3 ½” square tile. Rick and I had decided that the best way to encourage people to be comfortable with their drawings, was to arrange them like ceramic tiles all on a small table in the center of the room, for all to see just how beautiful they looked all together. They “ooohed” and “ahhhhed” and marveled at the fact that they all heard the same instruction but created different results. We explained that we did not want their work to look exactly like ours; rather, that their own personalities would be reflected in their finished tile. Where the idea of using the mosaic came from is anyone’s guess? But it was the original reason we called our small square “canvas” a tile. We all learned so much from seeing one another’s tiles, including Rick and me. Don’t forget, we were so new at this as well as all our students. As time went on, we could see our tangling styles emerge from birth to growth. I found it exhilarating to continue that growth from day to day. And what happened eventually gave us such validation. The Zentangle community was supportive, encouraging, and caring of other tanglers. No criticizing. Only compliments and enthusiasm. Please, if you are at a class, or teaching a class, do not let it end without the magic of a Mosaic. Take pictures, rearrange them, comment on them, admire them. It’s worth its weight in gold.
vigna
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Maria writes:
I really had to think hard about this, as it has been 20 years that we have been teaching about the importance of the Mosaic. I could picture our first (public) class that Rick and I taught at an IAMPETH (a calligraphy organization) conference. We stood up in front of 100+ people (most of them artists) and spoke for over an hour with no notes, agenda, or plan, only unbridled enthusiasm.
After a bit of background of how Zentangle appeared to us, and our reaction to it, we finally began to draw all together. A hush settled across the room, the likes of which I had never experienced. With pencils and pens in hand, our group began to follow our simple instructions and created their first 3 ½” square tile. Rick and I had decided that the best way to encourage people to be comfortable with their drawings, was to arrange them like ceramic tiles all on a small table in the center of the room, for all to see just how beautiful they looked all together. They “ooohed” and “ahhhhed” and marveled at the fact that they all heard the same instruction but created different results. We explained that we did not want their work to look exactly like ours; rather, that their own personalities would be reflected in their finished tile.
Where the idea of using the mosaic came from is anyone’s guess? But it was the original reason we called our small square “canvas” a tile.
We all learned so much from seeing one another’s tiles, including Rick and me. Don’t forget, we were so new at this as well as all our students.
As time went on, we could see our tangling styles emerge from birth to growth. I found it exhilarating to continue that growth from day to day. And what happened eventually gave us such validation. The Zentangle community was supportive, encouraging, and caring of other tanglers. No criticizing. Only compliments and enthusiasm.
Please, if you are at a class, or teaching a class, do not let it end without the magic of a Mosaic. Take pictures, rearrange them, comment on them, admire them. It’s worth its weight in gold.
I really had to think hard about this, as it has been 20 years that we have been teaching about the importance of the Mosaic. I could picture our first (public) class that Rick and I taught at an IAMPETH (a calligraphy organization) conference. We stood up in front of 100+ people (most of them artists) and spoke for over an hour with no notes, agenda, or plan, only unbridled enthusiasm.
After a bit of background of how Zentangle appeared to us, and our reaction to it, we finally began to draw all together. A hush settled across the room, the likes of which I had never experienced. With pencils and pens in hand, our group began to follow our simple instructions and created their first 3 ½” square tile. Rick and I had decided that the best way to encourage people to be comfortable with their drawings, was to arrange them like ceramic tiles all on a small table in the center of the room, for all to see just how beautiful they looked all together. They “ooohed” and “ahhhhed” and marveled at the fact that they all heard the same instruction but created different results. We explained that we did not want their work to look exactly like ours; rather, that their own personalities would be reflected in their finished tile.
Where the idea of using the mosaic came from is anyone’s guess? But it was the original reason we called our small square “canvas” a tile.
We all learned so much from seeing one another’s tiles, including Rick and me. Don’t forget, we were so new at this as well as all our students.
As time went on, we could see our tangling styles emerge from birth to growth. I found it exhilarating to continue that growth from day to day. And what happened eventually gave us such validation. The Zentangle community was supportive, encouraging, and caring of other tanglers. No criticizing. Only compliments and enthusiasm.
Please, if you are at a class, or teaching a class, do not let it end without the magic of a Mosaic. Take pictures, rearrange them, comment on them, admire them. It’s worth its weight in gold.
